Galactic Empire
The Republic Of The Galactic Empire, also known as the Galactic Empire, New Order, the Old Empire, Palpatine's New Order, the Imperium or simply the Empire, was the galactic government established by Chancellor Palpatine to replace the Galactic Republic in 0 AJP and bring Sith rule to the galaxy. The Republic, which had lasted for at least 25,034 years, ended following a period of intense political turmoil and the devastation of the Clone Wars. After General Grievous was defeated at the Battle of Utapau, Chancellor Palpatine began a purge of the Jedi Order. Shortly after, the leaders of the Confederacy Of Independent Systems were killed on Mustafar by Palpatine's son, Darth Starkiller, and Chancellor Palpatine (by then ruling with near-absolute power), proclaimed himself Emperor of the galaxy and reorganized the Galactic Republic into "the first Galactic Empire". 'History' Origin The Empire can be said to have begun with the scheming aspiration of the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, whose alter ego was Senator Palpatine of Naboo. A great manipulator of events, he furtively instigated the Naboo crisis, using the Trade Federation as a pawn, which led to Queen Amidala calling for a "Vote of No Confidence" in Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum, effectively replacing him. When his first apprentice, Darth Maul, seemed to have been killed by Obi-Wan Kenobi, Sidious later took on the former Jedi Count Jard Dooku as his new apprentice. Palpatine announces the New Order.]] Palpatine was an efficient and effective leader who quickly brought to an end the corruption in the Senate; his power was greatly increased as a result of the Clone Wars, while the Senate willingly furnished more and more emergency powers to him. Eventually, the Senate lost most of its power and became little more than a formality that Palpatine had to go through to pass his laws. Yet the Senate did have a symbolic power at least; Chancellor Palpatine still hid behind the pomp and circumstance of appealing to the Senate, but his power existed in his control over thousands of Senators that he had brought into his own web of corruption. However, Anakin Skywalker discovered that Palpatine was a Sith Lord, and after having informed Jedi Master Mace Windu of his discovery, a Jedi task force, led by Windu himself, attempted to arrest him. After a brief duel, Palpatine killed Agen Kolar and Saesee Tiin and defeated Kit Fisto and Mace Windu. Anakin and Luke Skywalker arrived shortly thereafter and demanded to know what happened to Master Windu. Palpatine claimed that Windu and the other Jedi committed treason and as such had no choice but to kill them. The cousins engaged Palpatine in a duel and at first the Sith Lord appeared to have the upper hand because of continuous claims he could save Anakin's wife from dying. Though deeply troubled, Anakin didn't believe him and refused to be held under Palpatine's sway. Nonetheless, Palpatine defeated Anakin and fought Luke to a stalemate until his Royal Guards arrived, and the Skywalker's escaped. Palpatine then proceeded to carry out the Great Jedi Purge, which eliminated almost all of the Jedi, while simultaneously wiping out the Separatist Council at Mustafar, thus bringing an end to the Clone Wars. Secure in his power and position, Palpatine used the so-called Jedi rebellion to issue the Declaration of a New Order and declared himself Emperor of the Galaxy in 0 AJP, replacing the Galactic Republic with the Galactic Empire. Many people under the new Empire enthusiastically supported the vision outlined in the Declaration of a New Order, largely due to the violence that had plagued the galaxy for so long. Many Senators wholeheartedly supported the new government while a number of more cautious senators chose to watch and wait to see how the new government would handle the affairs of state. It promised to trade frailty for strength, chaos for order, and uncertainty for decisiveness. In retrospect, the foundation of the Empire had already been set down during Palpatine's chancellorship and all potential threats eliminated; therefore, the transition from Republic to Empire was relatively smooth. It is important to note that not all of the Senators liked what they saw. In fact, the Petition of 2000 sought to bring the worries of these Senators to Palpatine. This petition was led by Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, and Padme Amidala. Palpatine's dismissal of their concerns was a factor that led Organa and Mothma to continuously recruit more members into the Alliance To Restore The Republic. Planets Loyal To The Republic Of The Galactic Empire *Coruscant *Earth *Kashyyyk *Naboo *Kuat